At the naval base, there were always a few recruits who would sneak out at night.
‘If they get caught, they’ll face severe punishment, yet they still take the risk.’
They would detoxify from the fatigue of their duties and then head to a nearby tavern. It wasn’t the right thing to do, but when I was on patrol, I sometimes turned a blind eye.
I knew how exhausting the training and work could be, so I figured a little fun every now and then wouldn’t hurt.
‘Of course, I’ve also been caught covering for them and received punishment myself.’
Why was I dwelling on such depressing thoughts again? I shook my head, trying to clear my mind.
“Lala.”
A whisper-like voice came from right beside me. It was Nereus.
“Ah! You scared me!”
His face was so close that his large, rugged features loomed over me, casting a shadow that made him even more intimidating. I was so startled, I almost let out a loud scream, but I quickly covered my mouth with my hand.
“Is that any way for a daughter to react when seeing her dad’s face?”
“Well, people get startled sometimes… it happens!”
Feeling slightly guilty, I avoided making eye contact. Nereus, feigning hurt, let out a small whimper before glancing at my outfit.
“What’s with the bag?”
“T-This? Oh, this is… for carrying treasure!”
I clutched the bag tightly against my side. I had packed it just in case before leaving the ship.
‘You never know.’
If I ended up alone suddenly, or got separated from Caelum, I would need to start over by myself.
This time, I didn’t want to become a navy officer again. Though I had formed connections here and there, having no money meant I wouldn’t be able to do anything at all.
‘Steve is tied to me because of money, after all.’
The only reason he stuck around was because I had promised him money and the cure for Maddie’s disease. If I could no longer provide anything, he would surely leave as well.
Life is unpredictable, so it’s never a bad idea to be prepared…
“Dad, what are you doing?”
Before I knew it, Nereus had lifted me up in his arms.
“You’re planning to go out, right?”
“Yeah.”
“But how exactly are you going to leave?”
“Through the stairs?”
We had rented out an entire inn in the Tenus territory. Since we weren’t exactly hiding, we could leave anytime we wanted.
“What do you think is happening downstairs right now?”
“Uh…”
Considering our journey, they’re probably just unwinding from exhaustion today and tomorrow.
“Are they drinking, by any chance?”
“Bingo.”
They were practically alcohol addicts at this point. With the amount they drank, it wouldn’t be surprising if their veins ran with liquor instead of blood.
“And you want to walk right through that crowd? That’s basically an open invitation to get caught.”
From the start, we had decided to take a break from active operations while in Caelum. The only reason I was rushing Nereus was simple.
‘By then, I won’t be able to gather freely.’
Once everyone had rested and settled down, someone was bound to suggest, ‘We should assign a protector for little Lala.’
Especially since I had gotten involved in some strange incidents recently.
‘Damn it. I really didn’t expect to get hurt that badly on Odlo Island.’
When Ethan first saw me injured, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. In all the time I had known him, I had never seen him make that expression before.
And so, even though Caelum occasionally made some reckless decisions, at the moment, they were in full-on overprotective mode. If I wanted to act freely, I had to deal with them one by one, separating them systematically.
“Dad, you’re right.”
“Of course~”
Nereus smirked and told me to hold on tight before suddenly leaping out the window.
‘Wait, this is the third floor?!’
Not that my protests would matter. He landed flawlessly, holding me securely in his arms as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
“All right, let’s get going—”
“Stop right there.”
A chill ran down my spine.
A solemn voice rang out behind us, making both Nereus and me freeze in place.
Creak— Nereus stiffly turned his head to see Isaac standing there, silhouetted against the light.
“Oh, Isaac? Hey~ you out for a walk too? I was just about to take Lala for a—”
“Where exactly do you think you’re going? You do realize a simple ‘just taking a stroll’ excuse won’t work on me, right?”
“………”
Step. Step. Isaac walked toward us, one deliberate step at a time.
“There’s no way the captain would miss out on a drinking session. I clearly remember you downing an entire crate the day Lala woke up from her fever. And on top of that, you didn’t brush out her hair like you usually do before bed.”
“……”
“Which means something is definitely up tonight.”
“Damn, this guy’s sharp…”
‘Agreed.’
Since when was Isaac this perceptive? He looked almost heroic as he addressed Nereus.
“In that case, I’ll be coming with you!”
“You really think I’d allow that?”
“The first mate already has a rough idea of what’s happening, but he permitted this little outing under the condition that I accompany you. If you refuse, I’ll go straight back and tell him everything—”
“On second thought, having an extra person might not be such a bad idea.”
‘Wow, what a sudden change in attitude.’
More than that, Isaac seemed to show more respect to Gilbert, the first mate, than to Nereus himself. Not that Nereus seemed to mind.
“Honestly, I’m surprised Gilbert didn’t tag along himself.”
“If both the captain and first mate leave at the same time, who knows what kind of trouble those guys will cause?”
“Fair point. If both of us are gone, Ethan’s going to have a rough time. Unlike me, he lacks the intimidating presence to keep them in check.”
“……”
“……”
“Why are you two looking at me like that?”
Nereus never really had the most intimidating aura in Caelum—aside from his rough-looking face, that is.
As we moved away from the inn and reached the dimly lit streets, Isaac finally asked,
“So, where exactly are we headed?”
“Huh? The Black Forest.”
“The Black Forest.”
“Have you lost your— I mean, are you serious?”
Isaac barely managed to correct himself after glancing at me. Honestly, the original phrase and the edited one weren’t much different.
“Look, just hear me out. This is the perfect time for them to make their move, don’t you think? If not a deal, then at least a report.”
Nereus had a point. If a smuggler were arranging a secret meeting, the most logical time frame would be between now and dawn.
A few days ago, word spread that the navy had arrived at Odlo Island.
And it wasn’t just the usual Unit 103. Hyperion himself had personally gone to assess the situation and issue orders.
‘What could an eight-year-old possibly do?’ I wondered. But then again, he was a Pharus, a member of the family that represents the navy.
‘And he’s also the future admiral.’
If a symbol of the navy’s future had personally set foot there, then those involved in the distribution of ‘Angel’ must be feeling the pressure.
This meant that if the head of the Terminus family was truly deeply involved with ‘Angel,’ they would soon take the bait. But if nothing happened, it would suggest a third party was merely using the Terminus name.
‘More importantly, why did Hyperion visit in person?’
All I had asked for was a simple message to be delivered. I tilted my head in thought and then pulled Nereus down to let me off his shoulders.
“You know I can keep carrying you, right? My little Lala isn’t heavy at all.”
“Shut up. What if I forget how to walk? You were the one who worried about that last time.”
“But you’re still my little girl.”
“And your daughter doesn’t like it. If you love me, you should respect me.”
Isaac, who was listening to our conversation, muttered under his breath, “Lala really is more mature.”
Eventually, Isaac gave in to Nereus’s reasoning. After all, the Black Forest, despite its ominous reputation, was actually a relatively safe place because of the terrifying rumors surrounding it.
Even criminals tend to avoid it.
“So, why exactly are we going there?”
“There’s a heart that the Lonely One dropped.”
“The Lonely One… heart…? You mean that fairy tale?”
“Yes. And I want it.”
Isaac’s expression briefly showed skepticism—‘But that’s just a fairy tale…’—but when I stared at him, he hesitated and kept his thoughts to himself.
‘Probably trying to protect my childhood innocence.’
That’s the kind of nonsense adults believe when they read strange parenting books—something about preserving a child’s dreams and hopes.
“Yes, I want it,” I said firmly, as if to end the discussion.
Isaac’s pupils wavered, but he had no choice but to nod.
“Well… I hope you find it.”
“Mhmm.”
Of course, the heart was real, and I even knew roughly where it was hidden. But it was still too dangerous for us to retrieve it, so I’d pretend I didn’t know.
“This way.”
By then, we had reached the outskirts of the Black Forest. The atmosphere was eerie, with only a few run-down, abandoned buildings scattered around.
“There really isn’t a single sign of life.”
“Not even the sound of animals moving.”
“That’s because beyond the Terminus estate, at the edge of the forest, lies the Dead Land.”
It was the perfect place for smuggling. Nereus and Isaac exchanged glances.
‘They’re probably thinking about splitting the profits once they catch the culprits red-handed.’
“I’ll take Lala since I’m better at fighting than you.”
“Fine. I’ll check the left side of the forest.”
“Then I’ll take the right.”
Without hesitation, they swiftly agreed on their plan and split up. I followed Nereus to the right.
“Would it have been better to go with Isaac?”
“No, I like Daddy better.”
After all, Isaac seemed stricter than Nereus. But whatever he interpreted from my words, Nereus’ expression brightened instantly, as if he had just received great news.
‘Idiot.’
More importantly, I needed to start looking for Desmer. Just as I was wondering how to go about it, a large rock appeared before me.
“Daddy, Daddy, my legs hurt.”
“I knew this would happen. I’ll carry you.”
“Uuugh, no, I’ll just sit here and wait for you.”
“……”
Nereus didn’t look too pleased. He seemed to be recalling what had happened back on Odlo Island.
‘Well, it makes sense. He only allowed this trip because I’d be sticking close to him.’
Putting on my most innocent expression, I spoke again.
“This area is really spacious. I’ll just rest for ten minutes, okay? You can go look around, and then we can leave right away.”
It was unlikely I’d gather much Desmer in just ten minutes, but if I got lucky, I could secure just enough for now.
‘If I fail, I can always hire a mercenary around here to find it quickly.’
I didn’t really want to rely on mercenaries, but if necessary, I had no choice.
After some hesitation, Nereus nodded.
“All right, but if you see anyone suspicious, you have to scream immediately, okay?”
“Mmhmm.”
Even as he walked deeper into the forest, Nereus kept glancing back to make sure I was still sitting there. I waved my arms repeatedly until they started aching, and only when he finally disappeared from sight did I spring to my feet.
‘No time to waste!’
Finding Desmer in just ten minutes? In this darkness? It seemed nearly impossible to locate the specific mushrooms I needed. But since I knew the characteristics of their habitat, I had an advantage.
The rock I had chosen to sit by was a mugwort stone. Desmer didn’t only grow in the Black Forest; it was often found around soil where mugwort stones were present.
‘But just because there’s mugwort stone elsewhere doesn’t mean Desmer grows there.’
I had no idea why, but that wasn’t important now. I just needed to gather as much Desmer as possible from this area.
“Let’s see…”
I crouched down, carefully distinguishing between Desmer and other mushrooms. I made sure to uproot them completely, preserving the stems, when I suddenly sensed someone approaching.
‘Is Nereus back already?’
“Daddy, you came back so fas—”
Stuffing the mushrooms hurriedly into my bag, I lifted my head, only to realize that the person standing before me was not Nereus.
It wasn’t a complete stranger, though.
“A child engaging in illegal harvesting, huh.”
“……”
“Or should I say, an unauthorized gatherer?”
It was Selene.
‘Something’s off.’
She felt entirely different from when I had met her earlier that day. Almost like an entirely different person.
